Press Release

IIE Announces Graduate Fellowships for Study in China

Funding will support Doctoral Research by U.S. Students at 15 Chinese Universities

NEW YORK, May 23, 2014—Beginning in August, graduate students enrolled in U.S. universities can apply through the Institute of International Education for support to conduct doctoral research at one of 15 prestigious universities in China under the Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship of the Confucius China Studies Program. The fellowships are one component of an array of scholarships and fellowships offered by Hanban, which is a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. IIE has been selected to manage the recruitment and review of fellowship applications for students from U.S. universities.

The Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowships reflect Hanban’s commitment to fostering deep understanding of China and Chinese culture among young generations from around the world, enabling the prosperous growth of China studies, and enhancing the friendly relationship between China and the people of other countries. In order to promote the growth of sinology and China studies and strengthen the relationship between China and other countries, the program offers a wide array of resources that enhance the students’ experience beyond the Fellowship grant. For example, the program gives each student the flexibility to pursue his or her own research in collaboration with faculty at their host institution in China, and is representative of the larger aim of the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote, as it has with CIs and other CCSP initiatives, intercultural and educational exchange.

Students can be U.S. citizens or any non-Chinese citizens who are enrolled in graduate level programs at U.S. universities. To be eligible for the fellowship, students should be enrolled in a Ph.D. program, a dual Master’s Ph.D. program, or a joint Ph.D. degree program. The fellowship will support 60 doctoral candidates to go to China to study, conduct research, and write their doctoral dissertations for a period of six months to two years. Funding will cover tuition, research costs, medical insurance, airfare and a stipend for living expenses.

In managing the U.S. side of this Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship, IIE will draw upon its strong scholarship management expertise from working with governments of the United States and other countries on flagship programs such as the Fulbright Scholarship Program, which IIE administers on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, and the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program, which IIE administers on behalf of the Government of Brazil.

“We are pleased to partner with Hanban to provide this excellent opportunity for U.S. students,” said IIE's President and CEO Allan E. Goodman. "At a time when increasing numbers of Chinese students have been coming to the United States for higher education, these fellowships will enable more American students to live and study in China and gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese language and culture.”

The Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship is in keeping with the goal of IIE’s Generation Study Abroad initiative, which aims to double the number of American students who study abroad by the end of the decade. IIE believes that international experience is one of the most important components of a 21st -century education, as globalization brings with it the demand for a U.S. workforce that both possesses knowledge of other countries and cultures and is competent in languages other than English. In order to build inclusive and prosperous communities, future leaders must possess knowledge, skills, and cultural understanding that can transcend the borders of our interconnected world. Studying in another country opens students’ eyes to a new way of thinking about the world, instilling a more informed approach to problem-solving in cross-cultural contexts.

These fellowships also help to advance two goals of the U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), the official bilateral dialogue to discuss deepening connections between our two societies, and the U.S. Department of State’s “100,000 Strong Initiative,” which seeks to realize President Barack Obama’s call for 100,000 Americans to study in China.

The United States government currently provides opportunities for U.S. students to study, teach, and conduct research in China through the Gilman International Scholarships and Fulbright Student Program of the U.S. Department of State, and the Boren Fellowships and Scholarships of National Security Education Program. The Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship of Hanban’s Confucius China Studies Program represents a significant contribution by the Chinese government to further educational exchange between our two countries.

Students can conduct doctoral studies and research at the following Chinese universities: Beijing University; Renmin University of China; Beijing Normal University; Beijing Foreign Studies University; Jilin University; Shandong University; Nanjing University; Nankai University; Fudan University; East China Normal University; Sichuan University; Wuhan University; Xiamen University; Sun Yat-sen University, and Beijing Language and Culture University. Students who successfully complete the program may receive Ph.D. degrees either from their home university in the United States or from both the Chinese and the U.S. universities depending on their respective home and Chinese host institutions.

This year the first cohort of 70 doctoral students in the CCS Program, from 20 different countries, are engaged in research ranging from traditional sinology focusing on language, art and classical works to modern China Studies utilizing multiple databases, multiple languages and various methods in social sciences. Their research areas include the influence of culture on the development of the Chinese nation, comparing the different development paths taken by China and other countries, the soft power of Chinese culture, and the political and economic reform in contemporary China. In the field of literature, students are not only examining novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties written in vernacular Chinese, but also Lu Xun and literature archives. Studies of China from a foreign perspective, like The Travels of Marco Polo, are complemented by studies of foreign countries from a Chinese point of view, such as Travels in Italy by Kang Youwei.

In the 2012/13 academic year, 235,597 students from China were studying in the United States (up 21% from the previous year). China remains the leading place of origin for students coming to the United States. In 2011/12, there were 14,887 U.S. students studying in mainland China for academic credit at their home universities in the United States, according to IIE’s Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, and more than 11,000 additional students engaged in other education-related activities in China such as language study, service learning, and internships that were not reported by the students’ home universities, according to a pilot study conducted by IIE on U.S. student participation in education abroad activities in China.

About the Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations.

About Hanban

Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters, as a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, is committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide. It meets the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world. The functions of Hanban are to make policies and development plans for promoting Chinese language internationally, to support Chinese language programs at educational institutions of various types and levels in other countries, and to draft international Chinese teaching standards and develop and promote Chinese language teaching materials.